Clouds
by Nanaki BH
Summary: [RenoxRufus] Reno and Rufus share a lone moment of discovery in Wutai.


Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated materials are property of Squaresoft. The song _Clouds_ belongs to Marty Casey and The Lovehammers.

Clouds  
By: Nanaki BH

"I like you."

"What do you mean?" I could feel his breath hot against my cheek. Although his palm was clearly what was pinning me to the wall and supporting him at the same time, I felt as though something else about him was weighing down on me and compelling me, intriguing my curiosity.

"I'm saying… that I'm attracted to you."

He paused. He put the situation on a balance and let it settle.

"If you think that's weird or something, tell me now."

"Not at all," I muttered, breath passing my lips lightly, mimicking the night air. I tried my damnedest to sound uninterested, but he was like a bad itch… or perhaps he was just like you're typical, overbearing pervert. Either way, I was interested and I feared that it would show. I let my tongue dart out to wet my lips; quick, tempting – just fast enough to give him a glimpse of something I could so easily withhold. I'd never had sex before. I knew that's what he wanted. Even though I've never had sex before, I still knew how to tempt a man until he became weak in the knees.

When his legs started shaking, I knew I'd conquered his judgment. His shoulders hung like a willow and he felt closer, if that was possible. I grabbed the thin ponytail at the back of his neck and gave it a tug to bring him back to the present. Commanding him with my eyes, I backed him into the sliver of light given by the paper lanterns that illuminated the narrow, outdoor hall. Above us, one of the chimes sung despite the lack of wind. His eyes were hooded as though from the influence of the customary Wutai sake. Perhaps it was one of those nights; I'd seen him before, out and around with that friend of his. Was he truly a friend or was there more to their relationship?

I brushed my thumb over my lips and he took in a sharp breath. I was close enough to tell that he smelled like kuchinashi; a flower the courtyard didn't house. He didn't smell like sake though. My lips quirked, amused to be so abruptly proven wrong in my assumptions. He smelled like flowers. Had he really come all the way out to find me to _court_ me or did he always smell like that just because he _likes_ it?

I ran the back of my hand against his cheek and brought it to rest between his shoulder and the back of his neck. "Now who's doing the wooing here?" I asked, slipping my fingers beneath his collar a little. He looked away, cheeks reddening with an embarrassed blush.

"It's nice out," he said absently, leaning back against the wooden railing. "I thought it would be nice if I got to talk with you."

"Who needs talking? Only business people need talking."

My fingers found his in the dim light and I tugged him out toward the courtyard, our sandals clacking on the wood floor. Admittedly, it was like something out of a story. The two of us were dressed up oddly; me in a yukata that my father had bought for me and him still in his suit, yet wearing the traditional sandals. I felt like the young Eastern girl whose hand was promised to a man from the West. Because no one was looking, I let my heart fill with that tempting daydream for a bit longer than I normally would have allowed. After all, my life was so drab; I should've at least had the freedom to let my mind dazzle in the fantastic world of something so unorthodox, if only for a few moments.

He sighed and his eyes softened; the torrent within them settling into a cool, glistening ocean blue. So often I've heard about drowning and I wonder to myself, "What _is_ drowning?" I've only ever been in water as deep as my waist. Where would I ever find enough water to _drown_ in? That night, staring into his eyes, I believed I'd found out what drowning was and I didn't mind one bit. It didn't hurt, I didn't struggle. In fact, I wanted to be pulled under.

And that's what happened, in a way.

I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him against me, our lips colliding somewhat unevenly. I fell back into the soft, green moss, his hand instinctively catching the back of my head and entangling itself in my hair before it hit the ground. My first kiss, it was; soft and gentle, yet commanding and deep. It was, in the end, just as perfect as I'd dreamed it would be. When he pulled away all I saw was his face, surrounded by the night sky, filled with glistening stars. A smile, perhaps the first true smile I'd ever smiled, appeared on my face and reflected on his.

Looking up into his eyes, which both seemed so honest, I knew that he wasn't there for more than that moment. He'd come for that kiss, yet not as selfishly as one may think. He was there to grant me my wish, like the first star I had seen appear in the sky that night.

I wrapped my arms around him and cried. For the rest of the night we remained like that, my head resting on his shoulder, breathing kuchinashi and love.

Author's Notes: Ah, young love! Hopefully, that came across as raw as I hoped it would. This fic was made for "#11 gardenia" on the 30kisses challenge on Livejournal. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feedback is appreciated!


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